Non-glare lighting fixture



25, 1953 w. LIPSCOMB 2,849,598

' NON-CLARE LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Sept. 8. 1953 INVEN TOR. WILLIS L.LIPSCOMB MINT! F0! APPLICANT United States Patent NON-GLARE LIGHTINGFIXTURE Willis L. Lipscomb, San Diego, Calif. Application September 8,1953, Serial No. 378,800

. 2 Claims. (Cl. 24011.4)

The present invention relates generally to lighting equipment and moreparticularly to a non-glare lighting fixture.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a lighting fixturecomprising a tubular, discharge type lamp enclosed in a translucent ortransparent outer casing, and a built-in reflector shaped to provide acontrolled light beam.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lighting fixture inwhich the reflector is electrically resistant and has a secondaryfunction as a heater element to maintain an eflicient operatingtemperature around the lamp.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lighting fixture whichis suitable for use as an automobile headlight or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lamp which is equallysuitable for use as a floodlight.

Another object of this invention is to provide a nonglare lightingfixture which is adapted for fabrication from many different materials,so that the choice of material can be according to the dictates ofavailability and price considerations, the exact sizes and proportionsbeing matters easily determined to suit particular conditions and needs.

Another object of this invention is to provide a nonglare lightingfixture which is inexpensive and practicable to manufacture.

Finally, it is an object to provide a non-glare lighting fixture of theaforementioned character which is simple, safe and convenient tooperate, and which will give generally efiicient and durable service.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements andportions, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification,particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawingwhich forms a material part of this disclosure and wherein similarcharacters of reference indicate similar or identical elements andportions throughout the specification and throughout the views of thedrawing, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile fitted with the non-glarelamps as upper and forward headlights.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of the lamp.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the lamp taken on the line 33of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the structureof the reflector element.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View similar to Fig. 3, of a lamphaving a casing of a slightly different shape.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical wiring used in theautomobile headlight installation.

Referring now to the drawing, the lighting fixture 10 comprises atubular casing 12 of translucent or transparent material in which isfitted a fluorescent lamp 14 or another discharge type lamp. The lamp ismounted between sockets 16 which are secured at each end of the casing12 and are of conventional design such as those used in existingfluorescent lighting fixtures.

Behind the lamp 14 is a reflector 18 which is fastened to the casing 12by means of rivets 20 or similar suitable means. This reflector 18comprises a plurality of longitudinal flat portions 22, 24 and 26 whichare arranged substantially symmetrically above and below the lamp 14 toprovide a pair of generally concave reflector channels 28. The flatportions 22, 24 and 26 are angularly disposed so that light issuing fromthe lamp 14 is directed forwardly in a beam, the width of the beam beinggoverned by the exact shape or arrangement of the reflector channels 28.

The reflector 18 is specially constructed to be used as a heatingelement, an example of the structure being shown in Fig. 4. The combinedreflector and heating element will be seen to be shaped to directradiant heat toward said lamp. The reflector comprises two outer layers30 of metallic foil or the like, one of which is polished to provide theneccesary reflecting surface, and a layer type heater element 32 of theelectrically resistant type which is separated from the outer layers bymeans of insulative sheets 34. This particular structure is similar tothat of a comparable laminated material in present use in heatingdevices and sold under the trademark Uskon.

The fixture is particularly suitable for use as an automobile headlight,the absence of glare being an important safety feature during nightdriving. The wide beam of light produced provides excellent coverage ofthe road ahead in a horizontal direction, while the vertical dispositionof the beam may be controlled by the shape of the reflector 18 and thealignment of the complete fixture in the automobile. The light beam maybe dimmed or lowered if desired by slight rotation of the fixture, avariety of mechanisms being adaptable for this purpose.

The electrical wiring associated with the fixture is illustrated in Fig.6 in which the lamp 14 is connected by means of conductors 36 to a powersupply 38 which is energized by the conventional automobile battery 40.The power supply 38 includes a suitable alternator and transformerhaving an output voltage suflicient to operate the lamp and also theballast normally used with fluorescent lamps. One end of the heaterelement 32 is connected by means of a conductor 41 to one side of thebattery 40. The other end of the heater element is connected, through aswitch 42 and a thermostat 43, to the other side of the battery 40 bymeans of a conductor 44. The thermostat 43 is electrically connected tothe heater element 32 and also supported on the reflector by asubstantially rigid connecting wire 45. The outer layer 30 is partiallyremoved at the connections of the wire 45 and conductor 41 to preventaccidental contact. The lamp 14 is, of course, operated by a suitableswitch 46 placed in a convenient position on the instrument paneltogether with the heater switch.

An alternative form of the lighting fixture is shown in Fig. 5 in whichthe casing 48 is substantially ovoid in cross section, a feature whichmay be desirable in certain installations where the shape may be moreadaptable than a right cylindrical casing. The reflector 50 isconstructed in a manner similar to the reflector 18 but is modifiedslightly in shape to conform to the casing 48. The arrangement of thelamp 14, the sockets 16 and the functions of the device are similar tothat described above.

As illustrated in Fig. l, the fixture is installed in an automobile 52,horizontally across the front thereof, the automobile being equippedwith suitable clearance lights 54 to conform to driving requirements.The ends of the casing 12 are enclosed by end caps or fairings 56 whichare constructed to suit the particular installation and the design ofthe automobile, the exact details not being essential to thisdisclosure. The position of the headlight subjects the fixture toextreme exposure especially severe during cold weather. It is Well knownthat fluorescent type lamps start and operate more efliciently withincertain temperature ranges which are usually rather limited. It iscertain that the exposure to cold air would lower the temperature withinthe casing 12 below the efiicient operating temperature of the lamp 14and it is here that the utility of the heated reflector becomes evidentby maintaining the temperature within the fixture at a sufliciently highlevel to obtain the utmost efliciency from the lamp. The thermostat 43,being adjacent the lamp 14, is affected by the temperature of thesurrounding atmosphere and is adjusted to energize the heater element 32as soon as the temperature falls below a predetermined efficient level,turning the heater off to conserve the battery as soon as the requiredtemperature is regained. The use of the fixture for headlights may, ofcourse, be extended to all types of automotive vehicles or the like, thehigh lumen output and comparatively low power consumption of fluorescentlamps, together with the absence of glare being ideal for such apurpose.

An alternative position for the forwardly disposed headlight fixture isillustrated at 58 in Fig. l, the fixture being installed as an upperheadlight above the windshield 60 of the automobile, in which positionthe device has certain advantages. The elevated position of the light isnot detrimental to road safety due to the nonglare properties of thelamp. In this position the lamp illuminates the area immediately infront of the windshield and thus reduces the brightness contrast betweenthis area and lighted area in front of the vehicle, also affected by thelights of approaching vehicles, thus increasing eye comfort of theoccupants of the first mentioned vehicle. The installation structure ofthe fixture may be similar to that previously described and must bearranged to suit the particular vehicle. It is conceived that lamps maybe installed in both the stated positions on the same automobile, thelamps indicated at 56 and 58 being operated either alternatively orcontemporaneously.

The fixture is not necessarily limited to use as a headlight, but may beused with equal success as a floodlight or general purpose light inpositions where a controlled pattern of fluorescent light is desirable.A particular example of such a use is in the lighting of servicestations, drive-ins or other outdoor establishments where the lightingfixtures are exposed to the elements. The protection offered by theouter casing around the lamp and the heated reflector to maintain thetemperature, combine to ensure that the lamps may be operated at peakefficiency in adverse conditions. Further, the light output pattern maybe controlled as desired by the shape of the reflector. It is conceivedthat the cross-sectional shape of the reflector is not limited to theangularly disposed flat por- 4 tions shown in the drawings. True concavereflectors or other developed shapes may be used to produce lightpatterns for a wide variety of applications.

The operation of this invention will be clearly comprehended from aconsideration of the foregoing description of the mechanical detailsthereof, taken in connection with the drawing and the above recitedobjects. It will be obvious that all said objects are amply achieved bythis invention.

Further description would appear to be unnecessary.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the inventiondisclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scopeof the invention, and that the specification and drawing are to beconsidered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. In a lighting fixture, a translucent hollow casing, a pair of socketswithin said casing adjacent the ends thereof, a fluorescent lampoperatively mounted in said sockets, a reflector mounted on the innersurface of said casing and having elongated substantially concaveportions above and below said lamp to project the light therefromsubstantially horizontally, a heater element integrally contained insaid reflector and adapted to heat said lamp, said heater element andsaid lamp having means for connection through said sockets to a sourceof power.

2. In a lighting fixture, a translucent hollow casing, 21 pair ofsockets within said casing adjacent the ends thereof, a fluorescent lampoperatively mounted in said sockets, a reflector mounted on the innersurface of said casing and having elongated substantially concaveportions above and below said lamp to project the light therefromsubstantially horizontally, said reflector having a heater elementintegrally combined therewith, said heater element and said lamp havingmeans for connection through said sockets to a source of power, saidheater element constituting means to heat said lamp, and a thermostatoperatively connected with said heater element to energize andde-energize the heater element at predetermined temperatures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

